core
Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.
Letters
4 characters
Language
English
word origin
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Detailed reference entry for the English word "core", 4-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "core" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "core" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.
core is aEnglishnoun. It means: In general usage, an essential part of a thing surrounded by other essential things. Pronounced /kɔː/. It ranks #1,892 in English word frequency. Often confused with CR and cry.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | core |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /kɔː/ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #1,892 |
| Misspellings tracked | 5 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Frequency rank visualization
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for core is 4 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kɔː/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,892 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text.Wiktionary records 22 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 5 documented wrong-spelling variants for core, with forms such as "ccore", "coer", and "corre". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "CR", "cry", "cow", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English core, kore, coor (“apple-core, pith”), of obscure and uncertain origin. Possibly of native English origin, from Old English *cor, related to Old English *coruc, *corc (diminutive) (> Middle English cork, crok (“core of an apple or other … Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is core, spelled C-O-R-E, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Definition
- 1In general usage, an essential part of a thing surrounded by other essential things.
- 2In general usage, an essential part of a thing surrounded by other essential things.
- 3In general usage, an essential part of a thing surrounded by other essential things.
- 4In general usage, an essential part of a thing surrounded by other essential things.
- 5The most important part of a thing or aggregate of things wherever located and whether of any determinate location at all; the essence.
- 6The most important part of a thing or aggregate of things wherever located and whether of any determinate location at all; the essence.
- 7The most important part of a thing or aggregate of things wherever located and whether of any determinate location at all; the essence.
- 8The most important part of a thing or aggregate of things wherever located and whether of any determinate location at all; the essence.
- 9particular parts of technical instruments or machines essential in function:
- 10particular parts of technical instruments or machines essential in function:
- 11particular parts of technical instruments or machines essential in function:
- 12particular parts of technical instruments or machines essential in function:
- 13particular parts of technical instruments or machines essential in function:
- 14particular parts of technical instruments or machines essential in function:
- 15particular parts of technical instruments or machines essential in function:
- 16particular parts of technical instruments or machines essential in function:
- 17Hence particular parts of a subject studied or examined by technical operations, likened by position and practical or structural robustness to kernels, cores in the most vulgar sense above.
- 18Hence particular parts of a subject studied or examined by technical operations, likened by position and practical or structural robustness to kernels, cores in the most vulgar sense above.
- 19Hence particular parts of a subject studied or examined by technical operations, likened by position and practical or structural robustness to kernels, cores in the most vulgar sense above.
- 20Hence particular parts of a subject studied or examined by technical operations, likened by position and practical or structural robustness to kernels, cores in the most vulgar sense above.
- 21Hence particular parts of a subject studied or examined by technical operations, likened by position and practical or structural robustness to kernels, cores in the most vulgar sense above.
- 22Hence particular parts of a subject studied or examined by technical operations, likened by position and practical or structural robustness to kernels, cores in the most vulgar sense above.
Etymology
From Middle English core, kore, coor (“apple-core, pith”), of obscure and uncertain origin. Possibly of native English origin, from Old English *cor, related to Old English *coruc, *corc (diminutive) (> Middle English cork, crok (“core of an apple or other fruit, heart of an onion”)) and Old English corn (“seed", also "grain”); or alternatively perhaps from Old French cuer (“heart”), from Latin cor (“heart”); or from Old French cors (“body”), from Latin corpus (“body”). Compare also Middle English colk, coke, coll (“the heart or centre of an apple or onion, core”), Dutch kern (“core”), German Kern (“core”). See also heart, corpse. Compare typologically Russian серде́чник (serdéčnik), сердцеви́на (serdcevína)) (akin to се́рдце (sérdce), cognate with heart, Latin cor).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ccore,coer,corre,croe,ocre
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
Relative frequency of common misspelling types for core
Misspelling Variants of "core"
Frequency rank: #1,892 in English
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Nearby English words
Other entries that begin with the letter C in our English index: